Lectrosonics 2xx vs 4xx?

Woohoo! I just nabbed two more Lectro sets on eBay! Both are UCR205D receivers. How are those better than a UCR210D?

Also one of the receivers I'm going to receive is a UM250B. According to spec, those are 250mW transmitters! Wow! That sort of makes the UM200C look puny. Is the 250mW really necessary?
 
ptalsky said:
The block absolutely matters. Go to the Lectro site - they have a table where you can select your city and see what blocks are available.

Be advised that Lectro is severely backordered - it is taking about 6-8 weeks now to get an order out.

As far as what to get, if you're not doing a lot of bag work, take a look at the R400A's. Very reasonable price, though they cannot be bagged. I also just picked up to PSC RF Multi's and will be running one set of shark fins to all of my sets.

Phil
Click to expand...

An RH400A is only $585 at B&H!! Wow! When paired with a UM400, would it be as good as a UCR201/UM400 combo? Is the price difference only because one has to be so much smaller and portable? Or is there also a quality difference?
 
shawn,

I was told by Lectro that the R400A is the same as a 401, except for the shielding, battery capability and size. so, I would say that if you are not doing bag work, the R400A is a good choice. I have two, and will be ordering two more. I also bought 2 RF Multi's to combine the antennae into two sharkfins and rack mount the whole thing.

Phil
 
Curious about the UM250 -- the extra power would seem to give you better range. Does anyone know if this is a good pick or one to avoid? Any battery life issues because of the extra power, etc? I've been following this post -- lots of good info. Good post guys!
 
Do you mean you bought two ZSC24 2-way passive splitters? Then you piped each shark fin into the corresponding antenna ports? Which antenna did you get? I went to B&H and they say the ALP600 is good for "the entire UHF band" but then they say it's a "Block 29" fin. So are the fins block specific? Are both your sets on the same block?

When you get two more will you have all four running off the same two shark fins or will you be getting two more fins and using the 4 way passive splitter?

I understand that the idea is that the fins are better for reception than the default ones, but how much better are they?

I appreciate the answers!
 
Shawn,

I haven't gotten the fins yet - but I'm looking at the PSC fins too - they're supposed to be full range.

My plan is to run all for R400's off the same two fins - I'm looking at a couple of different mounting options right now.

Here is a link to the RF Multi that I got (actually 2 of them):

http://www.professionalsound.com/Catalog/rfmult.htm

Ultimately I will probably get one of the more rack-oriented splitters, but I got a great deal on these, so they're good for a start.

As far as range, in a passive setup, as best I can tell, PSC says you get an average of 4.5dB gain over dipole antennas, and I'm not sure what the gain is on the dipoles vs. the little antennas that come with the Lectros.

Phil
 
The frequency range of the antennas has to do with the way they are tuned. The wider the frequency range, the more of a compromise there is on sensitivity. A block specific antenna would give you the best performance for a given block. The best bet would be to get an antenna that covers only the blocks that you plan on using if at all possible. Also, using a passive splitter will lower your signal significantly. RF can only be split into 2 parts so a 4-way splitter is actually a 2-way to 2 more 2-ways. Each split you lose approximately 3.5 dB so a 4-way gives about 7 dB total loss per leg. A 4-way amplifier like the PSC one Ptalsky linked to is your best bet, just quality RF amplifiers are kinda pricey.
 
I can't find a price for those PSC RF Multis, where did you pick up yours Phil?

Did you find that the default antennas aren't enough and thus you feel compelled to go the shark fin route? Or is it more the cool factor and gear lust of having dual shark fins on your cart? :)

Thanks Bob for the RF explanation! I'm a software engineer for embedded systems (day job) so I picked up most of that.
 
Right on. Is it obvious yet that I work for a cable company? My day job is network engineering/system maintenance so the RF end of all this is easy. Since I have access to all kinds of fun RF stuff I've been experimenting with different splitter/amp setups using standard CATV equipment. I've gotten a pretty good setup actually using 54-1000 mhz off-the-shelf gear. I actually have the AT U100 systems and looking to get the R400A/UM400 setup next.
 
That reminds me, I've heard that in 2009 (not 08), after the FCC mandated switch to HD that all our wireless mics are worthless if they sell off the newly-empty white space (which I've heard they are likely to do).

So, then what?
 
This is exactly why I'm hesitant to drop thousands on Lectro right now. I imagine they're either going to have to switch to a higher frequency like old 900 mhz cordless phones (or higher) or go all digital with the A/D converter in the transmitter (I think the Zaxcom stuff already works this way) and send all audio as data just like a wi-fi link. Both of those will probably happen actually. This FCC mandate keeps getting pushed back and you're right it is 2009 (for now). Until then, RF is RF and I can't believe how expensive all the "wireless mic" equipment is. Just because people are used to spending stupid amounts of money on wireless they can get away with the prices. Instead of the shark fins, two $18 UHF HDTV antennas, 2 CATV amps, and 2 2-way splitters and I have great range and reliability. I'm building my own 1U rack enclosure for the setup to go in my "cart."
 
wow!! I got my UCR210D/UM200C with Countryman B6 combo from Gotham in the mail today and it's amazing! The unit is in good condition and I took it for a test spin and was blown away by the quality. Ah! I want half a dozen of these things for all my talent to wear :)
 
Oh crap! I just got my two new pair of UCR205 receivers. Gah!! I didn't know they didn't have any battery compartments and expect DC only!

I don't have a power distribution system! Crap. So what's the cheapest way to get power to a pair of UCR205s in a Petrol bag?
 
Look at the Remote Audio BDS - and check in some of Oleg's old posts - he found a company with better batteries than NP-1's. I can't remember who they are, but I called them and they said that they could re-plug their batteries to fit in the BDS socket. I never did follow up, though.

Phil
 
remote audio bds - doesnt have anything with v you suply , its just passive disterbutor
all the lectros and 302 would be good till 18 v


about bds - its nice i have acouple but to pay 32 bucks for every cable later is areal pain , make your oun at least i did it as i have bout 15 differnt ones ( lectros ,4 pin , bp 90 4 pin xlrs to external eqiuip )
also if you buy one you can drilll the box in the corner and soljer paralel external cable with socket - the benefit it would take less place asthen the 4pin mini xlr and secend you can power from 2 sources and make hot swap
if you dont intend to power more then 4 devices at ones make aregullar power snake - wont cost you more then 120 usd ( 1 in -4 outs)
 
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